Stephanie Gets Engaged
by mybrowneyes
Summary: This is Stephanie and ranger's engagement using quotes from the 'Babe and Plum Family Challenges' Facebook page.
All belong to Janet Evanovich. I borrow them and make it as I believe it should be. Lee Anne

 **Stephanie Gets Engaged**

The pot roast wasn't as flavorful tonight as it had been on several occasions. It had something to do with the 'guest' at the dinner table this particular night. And, damn it, Frank Plum liked pot roast! Joe Morelli had been absent from Stephanie's life for a few months and dinners had been quite enjoyable. POOF! Helen runs into the cop at the appliance store. She wore out another iron because their younger daughter was still unmarried and his crazy old bat of a mother-in-law was found passed out on St. John's church steps along with a few of her cronies. She had too many wine samples at the wine festival and that was as far as she made it staggering home. Helen was ironing anything she could lay her hands on due to the fact a picture of the hungover ladies were on the front page of the morning paper being served hot coffee by the kitchen workers from the church daycare center. Edna loved that she was on the front page in black and white. She thought she appeared younger.

"Cupcake," Joe said half-way through his dinner, 'we aren't getting any younger. I know that we have been off."

"Joe," Stephanie began, the cop stopped her placing a small black box by her plate.

"It's time we settle down."

Frank Plum put his fork down. He witnessed Stephanie almost choking on a mouthful of mashed potatoes and panic in her eyes to match the glee in her mother's at the end of the table.

"That's some romantic proposal, Morelli. What ever happened to a guy asking for a daughter's hand?"

Joe began to squirm. "Mr. Plum, Stephanie and I go way back. This has always been coming."

"So, and the sun will come up tomorrow. Ranger respects my daughter and me. He asked for her hand!" A strong Italian finger pointed to Helen Plum. "Don't say one word, Helen."

Wide blue eyes were directed at Frank Plum. "Daddy, Ranger asked you?" Stephanie was doing a happy dance in her dining room chair, but also there was a pit in her stomach. Ranger was 'in the wind' for a few weeks. He came to check on her after his return, but she had seen little of the Bad Ass around Rangeman because Tank left right after. Momma Sherman fell and broke her ankle in Hartford; her son drove straight for the hospital and staying after she came home from the hospital.

"Before he left and I gave my blessing."

Joe Morelli yells, "WHAT THE HELL? I'M PROPOSING!"

"You never asked a question, that was your opinionated statement directed to my daughter. Stephanie, I'm your father and let me give you some fatherly advice. Ranger loves you as the caring, independent woman as you are. Don't sit here, go get him! You will not be happy with no one else."

With no blink of an eye, Stephanie pushed the unopened ring box at the cop, grabbed her purse off the back of her chair, and kissed her father charging out the door.

"Get your ass out of here," Mr. Plum instructed Joe taking away his dinner plate and dropping the black box in his stunned hand. Morelli had the buck-in-the-headlights expression not fully comprehending what just happened. "GO! Don't let the door hit you in your Italian jerk ass!" Frank was dragging the cop by his shirt to get him out of the house quicker.

"Mrs. P!" Joe called from the porch as the door was slamming in his face.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Her old, dented Wrangler was slammed into park not even in an empty space but in the driving lane, the door left open as she punched the elevator for 5. Ranger was in the building she knew because his black personal vehicles were all in their spots. And Cal in the control room said he was in his office.

Sprinting off the elevator right to Ranger's office, Stephanie stopped in the doorway catching her breath when dark eyes looked up with an arched eyebrow.

"Looking a little crazed, Babe."

Not thinking or saying anything, she ran to that damn Cuban man cradling his handsome face in her hands kissing him with everything that Stephanie Plum was. " **I love you and I'd choose you in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and choose you,** " the 'Burg' girl cried against his neck.

Arms were never going to let his 'Babe' go. The dark eyes took in the depths of the beautiful blue eyes as Ranger's thumbs gently wiped the tears in the corners. " **Time decides who you meet in your life, your heart decides who you want in your life** , and I want you in mine for always, Babe."

"I'm not going anywhere."

It was Ranger's turn, his lips claimed Stephanie's. Lost in the kiss that said everything more than his "Babe'. Not aware until she felt something soft under her, Ranger deposited Stephanie on the edge of his bed. She heard something open and kneeling before her was Ranger holding a blue velvet box.

"Marry me, Stephanie Michelle Plum?"

Opening the jewelry box was a simple, sparkling, hard-to-miss marquise diamond ring. This ring was bigger than Morelli's box.

"I'll marry you, Carlos Manoso."

No sooner slipping the ring on Stephanie's shaking finger and sealing their engagement with a deep kiss, Ranger's cell phone was beeping.

"Yo. Really? Be right down."

"What's wrong?" Stephanie questioned following out the apartment door.

"Morelli's in the lobby ranting out his Italian ass!"

"Ranger, he was at my parent's house for dinner and he tried to give me a ring. I didn't want it. I've always wanted you."

"I talked with your father before I left and asked for your hand."

"He told Joe."

Approaching the lobby, even through the closed elevator doors, they heard the cop's voice volumes above his normal tone. Ranger was smirking and didn't hide it behind a blank face. "What are you doing in my building, Morelli?!"

"You're trying to steal Stephanie from me!" He yelled charging at the mass of Cuban muscle stopping when the 'Burg' girl stepped in front of Ranger.

"No! I ended it months ago, remember? You were playing hide the sausage with a number of female meat packers in the coolers! Bruno the Butcher showed me the hidden camera tapes!"

He grabbed a waving Italian-Hungarian hand with a large engagement ring. It was exponentially larger than the one he bought at Wal-Mart and probably more than two years of cop's salary. "You didn't waste any time, Cupcake!"

"That is my fiancee you are touching," Ranger growled with a swift hand clutching the cops so he let go of Stephanie's. The other grabbed his shirt lifting the cop up and heading for the front door of Rangeman. Binkie was opening it as Morelli was going out of a building for the second time of the evening.

"This is my building and you weren't invited!" Ranger hissed before locking the lobby door. There was muffled pounding on the security door seconds later. Instructing his employee, "If he doesn't leave in 5 minutes, call the cops. This is my business." There was also kicking with rapps and "Cunnmfff!" that were silenced as the elevator began rising to the 7th floor. Stephanie and Ranger were laughing. And even more after viewing the security tape when Joe was put on the back of Eddie's squad car.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Tank so sooner got his mother moved into an empty Rangeman apartment temporarily so she did not have any steps to walk and he could take her to her follow-up appointments in Trenton, when Ranger and Stephanie flew off to Vegas. Frank and Grandma were their witnesses. Included in their vows were the words they spoke to each other the evening of their engagement. The wedding did cost Ranger a little extra, he paid the Bellaggio extra because Grandma was dancing with Elvis in the fountain after their elegant wedding dinner. It was probably the Dom Perignon champagne that did it. That picture made it onto Edna's Facebook page for all of the 'Burg' to see and Helen purchased another iron.

 **P. S.:**

In order for Ranger not pressing charges against Morelli for trespassing and damaging his property, Joe had to repaint the front door, replant the flower boxes with the flowers he stomped on the sidewalk, and power wash the entire building to the Cuban man's liking once his hand and foot were healed. It took two coats of paint and three trips to the nursery. Returning the ring didn't even cover one flower box and cost the cop more money out of his own pocket. Joe Morelli never stepped foot again in Rangeman. He did recoup some of his money repairing Rangeman when a few of the near-by businesses asked the cop to power-wash their buildings. Ranger laughed every time he drove by in his Porsche.


End file.
